Passus primus de vi[[sione Pers le Plog]]hman
and þe feld ful of folk y shal ȝou faire shewe
a louely lady of lore yn lynnen clothid
Cam down from þe castelle & cald me by name
and saide wille slepest þow sest þow þis peple
how besy þei ben a-boute þe mase
Cþe moste party of this peple þat passeth on þis erthe
haddon þei worshipe in this world þei wilneth noen bettere
Of othir heuen þen here holde þei no tale
y was aferd of hir face þough she fair were
and saide mercy ma-dame what may þis be to mene
The towr vppon þe tofte quod she truthe is þer-ynne
and wolde þat þei wroughton as his word techit
For he is fadir of feith & formour of alle
To be faiful to him ȝaf ȝou fyue wittes
forto worshipe him þerwith whil ȝe lyuon here
where-fore he het þe elementis to helpe ȝou at alle tymes
and bringe forþe your byliue boþe lynnon & wollon
and in mesure howeT muche · were to make þou / you at ese ·
and comaundid of his curtasie in comvne þre thinges
arn noen nidefoule but þo þre & nempne hem y thinke
and rikene hem by rewe reherse hem wher ȝe likeT
the firste is fode & vesture þe seconde
and drinke þat þe goed doth & drink not owt of tyme
Loot yn his lyue þorgh likerous drinke
wickedlich y-wroughte & wrathid god almyghty
yn his dronkenesse a day his doughtres he dighte
and lay by hem boþe as þe boek telleth
yn his glotonye he gat gurles &T wern churles
Vt seruare possimus de patre nostro semen Genesis & cetera
þorgh wyn & þorgh woman þere was lot acombred
For-þi drede delitable drink bothe day & nyghtes
Mesure is Medicine þogh þeT myche ȝerne
al is not goed þat þe gost ne þatT þe gut asketh
Ne liflode to þe lycam þat leue is þe soule
leue not þi licam for a liare him techith
which is þe wrecchid world wolde þe bigile
For þe feend & þi flesh folowen to-gidores
and þat sueth þi soule & seith hit þe in herte
and wisseþ the to be war what wolde þe disceyue
ac þe money of þis molde þat men so faste kepon
telleth me to whom þat tresour bilongeth
Go to þe gospel quod sho & se what god saide
When þe peple apposedonT him of a peny in þe temple
and god asked at hem whos was þe coyne
Sesares þei saide soþly we knoweth
Reddite sesari saide god þat sesar bifalleth
Et que sunt dei deo Or elles ȝe don ille
For rightfullich resoun sholde rule ȝou alle
and kynde wit be wardeyn þorghT welthe to kepe
and Tutour of ȝour tresour & take hit ȝou at nede
for husbondrie & he holdeth to-gidores
y frayned hir faire for him þat hir made
þe deep dale & þe derk so vnsemly to see tooT
what may hit bymene ma-dame y biseche þe
¶ þat is þe castel of care who-so cometh þerinne
May banne þat he born was in body & in soule
Adam & Eue he Eggid to ylle
and counceled caym to kule his brother
Iudas he biyaped · þorgh Iuwen Iewesch syluerN
and afterward an-hanged him hie vpon an ellerne
he is lettere of loue & lieth alle tymes
that tristeth in tresour of erthe he bitraieth sonnest
To combere men with coueitise þat is his kynde & his lore
¶ Thenne hadde y wonder in my wit what womman she were
þat such wise wordes of holy writ shewed
and halsede hire on þe hie name or she þennes wente
what she were weturly þat wissed me so & taughte
¶ holy church y am quod she þow aughtest me to knowe
y vndertokT þe formest & freman þe made
þow broughtest me borowes my biddyng to fulfille
leue on me & loue me al þi lyue tyme
¶ Thenne y kneled on my knees & kried hir of grace
and praide hire pitously to praye for me to amende
and also kenne me kyndely on crist to bileue
Teche me to noP tresor but telle me this ilke
how y may saue my soule þat saynt art yholdeT
y do hit vpon deus caritas to deme þe sothe
Chit is as derworthe drewry as dere god him-seluon
for he is trewe of his tunge & of his two hondes
and doth þe werkes þerwith & wilneth no man ille
he is agod / a god by þe gospel & graunt may hele
and also lik oure lord by seynt lukes wordes
Clerkes þat knowen hit is þus sholdon kenne hit abovtonT
For cristen & vncristen claymeth hit eche one
kynges & knyghtes sholdon kepe hit bi resoun
Ridon and rappe adovn in reaumes abowte
and taken transgressores & tyen hem faste
Til treuthe hadde y-termyned her trespas to þe ende
and haldon with himC & wiþ hire þat han trewe accion
and for no lordes loue leue trewe partie
Trulich to take & trulich to fighte
ys þe professioun in þe puyr ordre þat appendiþ to knyghtes
and who-so passeþ þat poynt is apostata of knyghthod
For þei sholde nowthir faste ne forbere þe serk
But fighte & fende truthe & neuer leue for loue in hope to lach suluer
¶ Dauid in his daies dobbed knyghtes
Dide hem swere on her swerd to serue truthe euere
and god whan he bigan heuen in þat gret blisse
Made knyghtes in his couert creatures tene
Cherubyn & saraphin such seuen & anoþer
Lucifer louelokest þo · ac litel while hit durede
he was an archangel of heuene oen of godes knyghtes
he and oþer with hym heldon not with truthe
Lopon out in lothly forme for his fals wille
That hadde lust to be lik his lord þat was almyghty
CPonam pedem meum in aquilone
Et Similis ero altissimo
Lord whi wolde he þo þat wicked lucifer
Lippon aloft in þe North syde
þen sitton in þe sonne side þere þe day reweth
Nere hit for northirne men anoen y wolde ȝou telle
ac y wol lackon no lif quod þat lady sothly
hit is sikerore by south þere þe sonne regneth
Then in þe north by many notes no man leueþ othir
for þedor as þe feend fley his foet forto sette
þere he failled & fel & his felawes alle
and helle is þere he is · & he þerynne ybounde
Euene þe contrarie sitteth crist clerkes weton þe soþe
CDixit dominus domino meo sede a dextris meis
ac of þis matere no more nempne ynelle / y nelle
hewes in þe haliday after hete wayton
ac þei care not þogh hit be cold knaues when þei worche
wonder wyse holy writ telleth how þei fellon
somme in erthe somme in heir somme in helle depe
ac lucifer lowest lith of hem alle
For pruyde that him pokede his payne hath noen ende
and alle þat worchon þat wicked is wendon þei sholle
after her deth day & dwelle þere wrong ys
and alle þat haue wel ywrought wende þey shol estwardT
Til heuene euere þere to abide
þere truthe is þe tour þat þe trinite ynne sitteth
¶ LereþC hit þus lewed men for lettrid men hit knoweth
þen truthe & trewloue is no tresour bettere
By what way hit waxeth & whedir out of my menyng
Thow dotid daffe quod she dulle arn thi wittes
To litel lernedest þow y leue latyn in þin ȝouthe
CHeu michi quod sterilem duxi vitam iuuenilem
hit is a kynde knowyng þat kenneþ in þin herte
for to louye þi lord leuest of alle
Deye rathir þen do any dedly synne
CMelius est mori quam male viuere
and þis y trowe be trewe · who-so can teche þe bettere
loke þow soffre him to say and so þow myght lerne
For truthe telleth þat loue is triacle to abate synne
Loue is plante of pees most precious of vertues
For heuene holde hit ne myghte so heuy hit first semed
Til hit hadde of erthe · y-ȝotun his silue
Ne was neuere leef vpon lynde lightore þere-after
as when hit hadde of þe folde flesh & bloed taken
þo was hit portatif & persaunt as þe poynt of anedle / a nedle
May no armure hit lette ne none hie walles
for-thi is loue leder of oure lordes folk of heuene
and a mene as þe mair is bytwene þe kyng & þe comune
Right so is loue a ledar · & þe lawe sheppeth
vpman / vp man for his mysdedes · þe mercyment he taxeth
and forto knowe hit kyndely hit comseth by myght
For of kynde knowyng of herte þere comseth a myght
and þat falleth to þe fader þat formed vs alle
Loked on vs with loue let his sone deye
Mekely for oure mysdedes amendid vs alle
and ȝut nolde hem no wo þat wrought him al þat tene
But mekeliche by mouthe mercy he bisoughte
To haue pite on that peple þat peyned him to deth
here myghte ȝe see ensaumples in him-self one
þat he was myghtful & meke & mercy gan graunte
To hem þat hongen hym hye & his herte thorlede
For-þi y rede ȝou riche haue ruthe on the pore
þogh ȝe be myghty to mote be meke in ȝour hertes
For þe same mesure þat ȝe mete amys oþer elles
ȝe sholn be weyed þerwith · when ȝe wende hennes
CEadem mensura qua mensi fueritis remetietur vobis
for þogh ȝe be trewe of ȝour tonges & trulich wynne
and ben as chast as a child þat chideþ noþer fighteþ
But yf ȝe loue lellich & lene þe pore
of such goed as god sent godlich parte
ȝe han no more meryte yn masse ne yn houres
þen malkyn hadde of hire maydonhed when no man hir coueytid
For Iames þe gentil Iuggeth in his bokes
þat feith with-owton þe feet is feblere þen nought
and as dede as a dore-nayl but yf þe dedes folowe
CFides sine operibus mortua est
Chastite with-owton charite worth chayned in helle
hit is a lewed thing as a laumpe þat no light is ynne
Many chapeleyns arn chast ac charite hem faileth
auerous & euel willed whan þei ben auaunsed
vnkynde to her kyn & to alle cristene
Chewen her charite & chidon after more
& ben acombred with coueytise þey can not crepon owt
and that is no truthe of þe trinite Bot treccherie synne
and a lither ensaumple leue me as for þe lewed peple
For þise arn wordes ywreton in þe euangelie
CDate & dabitur vobis
For y telle ȝou alle & þat is þe lok of loue & vncloseþT grace
þat counforteþ alle careful & combredT with synne
CSo loue is leche of lif & lisse of al payne
For-thi y may saye as y saide eer bi sight of þes textes
When alle tresoures ben y-tried treuthe is þe beste
Loue hit quod þat lady lette may · I · no lengore
To lere þe what loue is & leue at me · shoC · laughte
The most people
desyre worship .
desyre worship .
Loot first
planted
grappes }
planted
grappes }
þe Deuille
CaynN
IudasN
Charytie .
Lucyfers
Hall in
Imo Gehennae
Hall in
Imo Gehennae
Lucyfers fall .
Love
or
Carritas
Pius
Carritas
Pius
iustifiinge
faith only
workinge
faith only
workinge
þe couuitous
of þe clergieC
of þe clergieC
Vncharytable
chaplaynes . / /
chaplaynes . / /
Love & truth
Measure
ordour of knygtes
Love
Almesse .
nota
genicis
A simmely { as Trecale or MedridatLX, expulseth pouison in þe body
so loue, and godly charitie, expulseth sinn in the {Body}Soule
so loue, and godly charitie, expulseth sinn in the {Body}Soule